Shin Megami Tensei: Persona PKMN5
by dust-sommelier
Summary: This isn't the first time Ash Ketchum, resident forever ten-year old, has set off on another journey in another unknown region. But this time, his fate, destiny and soul are what he must rely on more than his Pokemon. Pokemon x Persona crossover (updated on Ao3 before ff)
1. Prologue: The Velvet Room

This is a Pokeani x SMT Persona crossover I've had in my mind for MONTHS now. I finally decided to put it into words and see how far I can get with my limited motivation, time, and creativity. In this crossover, it features the Pokemon world, where Ash begins his travels in Unova. He gains the power of Persona and fights Shadows on the other side, the Mirror World.

What will this all mean? Read and find out...

..

Darkness. He was in pitch black darkness ever since he feel asleep. No audible sounds could be heard, like a void, for the first few minutes. Then, there was sound… The clanking of metal on metal in a fairly consistent beat. The sound of a form of transport at a static level of speed. A specific form of transport. And as if it was traveling in a closed route of only one infinite line. All together the sounds were muffled, like he was inside rather than outside and hearing these sounds.

The sounds began to be clearer and clearer. And then, his vision started to accept the dim lighting around him. As both started working again, his pupils moved around the area until his hazy vision cleared. And there he sat was…

A train?

A city train to be exact. However, this train was even more unfamiliar to him than those kind.

Before him was a round table, dressed in a silky, blue tablecloth. In fact, everything was blue. The interior space of the train car was the same shade of blue as the tablecloth, as well as the rather fancy seats for a train. Handles attached to the ceiling swayed as the "train car" sped on and on and on. And as the train went on, the long, digital clock above the seats in front of him, displaying a date and time that rapidly changed by the milliseconds that passed.

He almost didn't notice the three people in the seats vertical to his seats, along the sides of the car in one row.

Two of the people, nearly identical, sat on the two sides of the third person, separated from him by the tall bar handles of the seat. Those two were both decked in a conductor-like outfit in the same color of the car, except the pattern on their coats inversed one another's. They wore comically large conductor hats, a silver "V" pin attached right in the center. Their only visible hair could be seen seceding from under their hats onto the sides of their faces in a light gray color.

Suddenly, they opened their eyes in sync with one another and looked right at him. Their deep, yet glimmering, golden eyes stared, not showing at signs of blinking anytime soon. Then, the third person's eyed opened.

He didn't know how he didn't notice this person before the other two, but just then, they bared their strained eyed, the orbs bulging out of their sockets so far, that the veins of their eyed could be seen under his thick, bushy and wild eyebrows. And right below was an excessively long and pointy nose, pinker than the rest of his visible skin. He had a large bald spot atop his head, the only hair he bore was bright white and draping off the sides of his head above his pointy ears. Alongside all that, he sat, hunched over with head in gloved hands, with his elbows resting on the table in a simple black suit.

" _Where…?"_

"Welcome to the Velvet Room…" The bizarre-looking man spoke. His voice was deep, almost cynical to the ears. However, despite his looks, he seemed to bare no harm to him. Then, as if on cue, the two conductor-like people closed their eyes once more.

"My name is Igor…" The man spoke to him again. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance,"

He wanted to speak, but nothing came out. Igor continued on, like a ritual.

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter…" He briefly moved one of his long-fingered hands, gesturing to this "room" they occupied. "It is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter…" At the end of his sentence, he replaced his hand to its original position under his chin and paused. Then looked down at the velvet table before him.

"It may be that your soul is being called upon very soon," he continued to stare at the table. "In the near future, that is… For the reason that you have entered this place…"

He then looked back up to him.

"Now then… Why don't you introduce yourself…?"

The boy thought that he couldn't speak, therefore hesitating to respond. But in fear of an extended visit in this Velvet room, he attempted and spoke.

"Ash," his voice announced. "Ash Ketchum,"

Ash couldn't believe it actually worked. Igor nodded ever so slightly.

"Hm… I see…" he replied, his eyes closed. He then reopened them to Ash.

"Ah! I have neglected to introduce my two assistants to you…" He motioned his eyes to both of the conductor-like people, looking from one to the other. Ash moved his eyes to the one with a darker color scheme than the other.

"My name is Ferdinand,"

"My name is Earnest," the lighter colored one followed.

"We two are both here to accompany you through your journey…" Both then said in sync.

"' _Journey'?"_ Ash thought. _"I haven't decided where to travel next yet…"_

"In your near future, you will oblige to a contract of some sort, after which you will return here" Igor continued, grabbing Ash's attention from the floor. "This coming one-year adventure of yours is a turning point in your destiny… However, at this very moment, you are fast asleep in the real world as we speak. This visit of yours is merely a dream… We shall attend to the further details later…"

The whooshing sound of the train car speeding on started to fade, alongside his vision.

"'Till we meet again…"

As Igor's eyelids drew to a close over his eyes, so did Ash's vision and hearing. It was then again, all black…

...

Yeah, I know. Sounds like a really stereotypical crossover fic. But don't worry! It won't be like this for a whole lot of the story. Igor is the only Persona character in this story. The rest are Pokemon characters. SO please leave kudos and comment please 3 thx for reading!


	2. Chapter 1: April 1st, 2012

April 1st, 2012

Pallet Town, Kanto

Ketchum Residence

Morning

….

The young boy stood in his room, standing in the center of it. As soon as he picked up his hat and placed it crooked atop his head, he was all ready to go.

"I'm so psyched!" He proclaimed to his buddy, Pikachu, perched on his left shoulder like always. "Taking a trip with Mom… Can't remember the last time we did that, ya know?" Pikachu smiled back at him, calling on in agreement.

"Ash,"

Turning to his open bedroom door, his mother stood in the doorway. Smiling, she stood before him, looking at her young son from across the room.

"Professor Oak is here to pick us up!" Delia chirped, her excitement closely mirroring her son's, a wide smile on her face. Before letting him speak, she stepped forward. Putting her hand on his shoulder, she adjusted his cap so it laid straight on his head. She then stepped back and looked at her work. Ash stood there, clueless.

"There! Perfect!"

This was going to be quite the trip with her along…

…

Upon setting foot outside, a nice red, open-roofed car sat in front of them in the road. And so be it, there he was, Professor Oak, sitting in the driver's seat, arm resting on top of the door. However, he was dressed…

"Let's hit the road!" The wise man proclaimed. He too seemed to be excited as well.

"…Why are you dressed like that?!" Ash commented with a slight laugh. It was completely called for. Oak wore a Hawaiian vacation shirt with Pinap Berry printing all over, a red visor with two blue stripes on one side, and shades fit for an old man.

"Oh, this?" Oak put his hand on his shirt. "To get everyone in the vacationing mood! It's been years since I visited the Unova region," He waged a finger, as if he was reciting one of his proclaimed poems.

 _Unova…_

"But this is work-related, right Professor?" Delia probed in questioning, holding the handles of their bright red and rolling suitcase to the side.

"Yes, but when I'm in between conferences, it's my time!" Oak jolly proclaimed. He then gently pumped a first in the air. "So, in you go!"

Upon the professor's words, Ash's excitement resurfaced and bounded for the car.

…

The sound of waves crashing and the propellers spinning at top speed. The boat-like plane started ascending into the clear blue skies. Ash sat in the window seat, taking in with amazement the beautiful view of the ocean getting further and further away as the plane rose. Beside him sat Oak with his mother on the end set of the three-seat row.

Turning away from the window, he picked up the brochure in the pocket of the seat in front of him. Opening it, he started to read its contents.

"The Unova region… I bet there are all sorts of Pokemon I've never seen before!"

"Of course," Oak commented to the boy's excited reading. "It's filled with Pokemon. Pokemon you won't find in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn or Sinnoh!"

"Wow that's awesome!" After hearing that, Ash just couldn't wait much longer. The only thing keeping him from Unova was this timely plane ride there.

…

After some time had passed, the plane broke through the clouds to reveal a large mass of land. Intrigued, Ash leaned towards the window and gazed in wonder.

Oak leaned forward as well. "That's the Unova region!" He explained to Ash and the young boy's excitement grew wild.

He gazed out the window as the plane began to descend to the water-airport attached to the landmass below. The Unova region got closer and closer until the plane gently crashed into the water, creating massive waves, and slowing into the docks. The propellers came to a slow stop and the passengers began to stir.

As Ash steps of the plane, his mother and the professor are already ahead of him. Not wanting to be left behind, he hurriedly rushes to catch up with them, brimming with curiosity and joy. However, Pikachu stops. Ash stops to.

" _Oh…"_

Ash called out to Pikachu, its back turned to him. The electric Pokemon hops forward a few feet and stops to look around. It seemed to have notice something Ash has yet to see, but…

"Pikachu, what's…?" As he ran to Pikachu, a pink, water Pokemon jumped out the waves and back down in an arc. Amazed and wondering, Ash runs further out. Pikachu followed behind. Reaching the end of the dock, Ash looked in the waves for more, but Pikachu is fixated on something different. Something coming…

Looking where Pikachu was gazing at, his eyes widened. A dark, swirled, thunder cloud is looming over to them. The cloud was as obvious as blood on a white cloth in the clear blue skies above. Everyone in the airport building even turned to look at it finally fixed a position above the two of them.

Before much could be done, a bright light too blinding to be an everyday lightning bolt struck down. Ash covered his eyes with his arms and was shrouded in a shinnying and bright blue light. His vision went dark for a few moments before his eyes reopened to the dark cloud, scattering smaller blue lightning bolts form its eye.

Sitting up, he noticed the ground was no longer the cement port, but a mystical, sparkling blue like the lightning. When he gained further control to his body again, he stood himself up and gazed directly up to the storm. It was just then that he noticed Pikachu shocking a Thunderbolt up into the storm. And within seconds, a dark, mysterious figure of a creature appeared amidst the dark clouds.

From far away, outside the storm, a dark skinned girl with flourishing lilac hair popped out from the top of a tree. She said not a word before descending down into the tree once more.

Suddenly, a spitting headache came instantly on, causing Ash to clenching his forehead with his hand. Then…

" _I am thou…. Thou art I… Thou art the one… who opens the portal…"_

Intending to search for the source of the voice, he turned and saw an oval like ring beside him. Nothing could be seen on the other side, except darkness and shadow-like figures. Eerie voices were the only thing he received from it, besides the urge to…

Ash stepped forward. He placed his hand stretched out before him. With one touch with the tips of his fingers, the portal's surface wavered a ripple. Pikachu stood next to him, curious. His mind decided that what he was seeing was no more than a hallucination for the lightning that struck him, so he dared further. He slid his hand further and his hand entered the portal. However, when his hand was in up to his wrist, a strong, sudden force pulled at him. Before he knew it, nearly half his body was in.

Pikachu grabbed on tight to his leg and pulled with all its little might. The two of them struggled to get him out, pulling and tugging, till a minute later, the force stopped. The release outweighed their efforts and the two of them fell back falling as soon as another bright blue right surrounded them.

Upon opening his eyes, the sky above was clear. He stood up on his feet once more and looked around, Pikachu climbing back onto his shoulder. Then footsteps started to rush on over.

"Ash-dear!"

"Ash!"

He saw both his mother and Oak rushing to him. His mother put both his hands on his shoulder and inspected him carefully. However, she still went on to panic.

"Are you alright?!" She quickly questioned him, a worried gaze plastered on her face.

Disregarding the shadow, the voice and the portal, "…Yeah," He assured them. "But… Who was that…?"

They both looked at the young boy with looks of confusion. "What do you mean?" Oak probed, very befuddled. "All we could see was the clouds…"

" _That's weird… What could it have been…?"_

…

Nuvema Town, Unova

…

Walking down the Pokemon Laboratory owned by Professor Juniper, Ash walked with the professor herself to greet a new trainer. As they entered the lobby, there stood a boy about Ash's age, taking pictures with a green digital camera. When he turned to them, Juniper spoke.

"Hello Trip!" She brightly greeted the boy, making her way to him as Ash walked beside her. "Welcome!"

Trip fully turned himself to her and presented a small smile, lowering his camera. "Hello Professor Juniper," he responded, looking up to the taller woman. "I'm finally ready to start my journey,"

Remembering the day all that time ago when he started off on his journey, Ash stepped forward and sympathized to Trip his feelings he had then. Finally noticing him, Trip's smile faded away. He cocked a confused eyebrow.

"Trip, this is Ash," Juniper waved her hand over to Ash, introducing him to Trip. "He's come all the way from Pallet Town in the Kanto region," As he stepped forward further, Ash introduced himself. Yet, the boy remained silent. Trip let out a chuckle and smirked, leading Ash into confusion.

"I knew by the looks of a guy like you came from the boonies," He taunted, his grin piercing into Ash.

His confusion turned to offence. "Hey, what do you mean 'boonies'?!" He threw back. Juniper gently pealed them away from each other and commenced with gearing Trip for his journey. As soon as that's done, the stuck-up trainer leaves.

When about to head after him, images suddenly flash before Ash's eyes.

The Velvet Room…

Igor…

The conductor assistants…

With a flash, it's all gone and he returned to the lab. A headache proceeds to return to him, causing him to clench his forehead in immense pain. And just like before, it was gone within moments, leaving him standing there to ponder it.

" _Unova…"_

…

Evening

…

That evening, over dinner, Ash presented his mom and Oak with the desire to travel the Unova region.

"Of course!" Delia grinned, smiling from ear to ear, causing Ash to gaze at her in confusion. "I knew it, Ash. No one knows you better than me," That seemed to be her approval on the subject.

"Call us from time to time about your journey, if you would," Oak added, seeming as satisfied as Delia was, smiling and delighted.

Later that evening, Juniper gave him his travel necessities, the Unova Pokedex and five Pokeballs. Going to bed that night wasn't easy for him as it had been last night, all the way back in Kanto.

...

I sort of got a bit lazy at the end but shhh :p  
Next chapter, we'll introduce another character... (It may be a short chapter since the first few episodes of the BW series are pretty pointless tbh)


	3. Chapter 2: April 2nd, 2012

Now this chapter starts the uniqueness of the fanfic. It'll be gradual, but it starts and the end of this chapter and will build up as the chapters go on. Hope that's enough for you to stick around!

Also, I want it to be like the Persona game where the protag is relatively silent, but since Ash isn't, I'm making his talk in parts where it's explained what he says and parts where he actually has dialogue is like the game's dialogue options. Except with only one certain answer being presented in the fic.

Enough blabber from me. Enjoy and please leave feedback! 3

..

April 2nd, 2012

…

Morning

…

Outside, a butterfly-like Pokemon lay on a window sill. But within moments, it took off and fluttered off into the sky, leaving mystical blue sparkles behind that shortly disintegrated into nothing. And right at that moment, Ash woke up in the room through the window.

Today was the day…

…

"Where's your handkerchief? Are your clothes packed? Do you have clean underwear?"

Delia went on pestering Ash about this and that. He had to tell her that he wasn't a little kid before she stopped. Juniper then told him about the Pokemon Center on the other side of the forest before he gave his farewells and headed off, running down the road. His mother and Oak yelled to him their farewells as he disappeared in the distance.

"I wonder how much he will have grown the next time I see him," Delia spoke to herself. "I can't wait!"

…

Trotting down the forest path in a jog, his mind battered about which Pokemon he'd meet and catch first, Pikachu running alongside him. Suddenly, bushes nearby began to rustle, causing Pikachu to stop, callout, and point at them. Assuming it's a Pokemon, he pulls out his Pokedex, given to him by Juniper to scan it.

…The purple in the bushes did not match this 'Axew' in the Pokedex. But he throws a Pokeball anyways.

The Pokeball speeds through the air, spinning, and hits the purple right on point.

"OUCH!"

"' _Ouch'?!"_ Ash questions himself.

Out of the bushes comes a furious girl, fists clenched. The purple turned out to be her massive, fluffy hair, a big amount of it going down her back and tied at the end, while two big pigtails poofed out from yellow hair clips from the top of her head, triangle bangs falling below that onto her face. She was darker than Ash, her brown eyes darker than her skin, and purple eyelashes barely visible. She worse a loose, smock-like tunic that had a pink skirt made of thick ribbon that tied off into a bow. Underneath, she had some cream colored leggings and on her feet were pink shoes.

"Okay, what was that for?!" The wild-haired girl burst out in a yell to Ash, riled up and pumping her fists in fury above her head.

"Uh… I was only trying to… catch a Pokemon…" Ash explained to her as she approached him in anger, causing him to put up his hands in defense.

"Oh?" The girl inquired, eyebrows furrowed. "So what you're really saying is that I look like a Pokemon? Tell me… Your Pokedex," She poked her cheeks and gave a dark grin. "Is this cute face in there? TELL ME, IS IT?!" Her face immediately got in his.

"No…! Uh… Sorry?"

She huffed before backing off. "Fine," She proclaimed. "I accept your apology. You've got a long way to go if you think I look like a Pokemon…" She brought the berry she was holding in her hand up to her head of hair and the Pokemon from the Pokedex entry popped out! It let out its happy cry and took the half-eaten berry from her. This brought him into total shock.

As Axew popped out of her hair onto the ground, Pikachu started to walk over to greet it, however, the girl saw it and leaned forward in amazement.

"No way! A Pikachu?!" The girl gasped in awe and picked it up, snuggling it. "You've got to be the sweetest thing ever! It's so cute…!" Pikachu struggled, but she continued by poking it cheeks.

"And those jiggly cheeks! You can't find any Pokemon this jiggly in Unova!"

"Pika-Pikaaa…!"

"I, for one, am dying to know what a Pikachu's doing here! Come on! Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

Ash, with Pikachu still being smothered by the girl, introduces himself to her.

"Well isn't that nice," She commented, still holding Pikachu tight in her grasp. "It's nice to meet! I'm Iris!" She goes to put out her hand for him to shake, but Pikachu, starting to suffocate, shocks her.

…

"So tell me, wasn't there a thunderstorm in Nuvema Town yesterday?"

Ash explained to her what had happened. More than just the thunderstorm. The voice, the dark Pokemon, and the portal that nearly dragged him in. After he finished his story, her eyes were low and her face showed nothing.

"You've got to be joking with me, right?" Iris inquired, not a single drop of belief, but buckets full of doubt. When he persisted further, she shook her head and shrugged. "Only a little kid would believe that... In fact, how would anybody believe that was true? It sounds like the lighting just knocked you out cold,"

It didn't seem like she was going to believe him. But Pikachu's persistence gave him hope for another time.

…

That night, they slept in the forest. Iris, having fallen asleep early, left Ash and Pikachu looking up to the night sky. A shooting star zooming across the sky grabbed his attention.

A sense of luck seemed to struck inside him.

…


	4. Chapter 3: April 6th, 2012

Now THIS is long and nearly 100% new content rather than from the show chapter! I worked long and hard on this and it a whopping 3000+ words dear god.  
I'll explain everything that happens in the fic at the end 3

..

April 6th, 2012

…

Striaton City, Unova

Daytime

…

On the horizon, with new Pokemon Pidove and Tepig under his belt, Ash ran to see the horizon of Striaton City. It was a large city surrounded by a forest of trees, yet its modern towers rose the highest. Excitement rose in his heart as he made his way to the entrance of the city from atop of the hill.

…

Aimlessly bounding down the streets, in search of the Striaton City Gym, Ash looks around, stopped to express his excitement out loud. However…

"So tell me… Where's the gym?"

Iris popped out from behind him, catching him off guard. She had been traveling with him on and off, once explaining her rage of him 'following' her, but her she was, following him.

"Um…" He tried to defend himself, attempting to claim that he knew where it was.

"All ready to go but you don't know where you're going, just like the kid you are," She spoke in a teasing manner, giving a smug shrug. Axew popped out of her hair and she handed it the apple in her hand. The tusked Pokemon happily grabbed the apple while Iris still held onto it and started to gnaw at it.

"Say! An Axew!"

Looking up, the two saw a rather fancy-dressed man with light green hair approach Iris. He leaned forward and gazed intently at Axew, looking at it up and down, smiling with wonder. He then leaned back and put his hand on his chin, closing his eyes.

"Soft skin fresh as new grass, tusks like newly-sprouted, young shoots, and a future as bright and limitless as the early morning sun…" The formal young man reciprocated on what his senses gave him. "The perfect partner for a young lady who seems one with nature!" He seemed to have been very intrigued over Axew, taking his poetry-like sentences into great account.

"Thanks so much!" Iris replied, smiling, the young man seeming to have come in peace.

He seems to have nothing more to say, but upon laying his eyes on Ash's Pikachu…

"A Pikachu?" He stared in disbelief before smiling wide and his eyes starting to glimmer. "It's a Pikachu!" Without further ado, he stepped forward towards Ash and picked it up off of his shoulders and into his gentle grasp.

"First time I've seen one up-close!" His voice reflected an overjoyed sensation the sight of a Kanto Pokemon was giving him, his gaze looking at every inch of it in amazement. "Hello there!" he smiled wide at it, causing it to feel awkward, presented in its expression.

Giving Pikachu back to Ash, he stood up straight. "Say, you've really got yourself a rare Pokemon, you know," His voice was only just starting to return to normal composure.

Yet again, Ash had to explain the situation, introducing himself in the process.

"Well, how do you do?" He cheerfully accepted him and placed a hand over his chest. "My name's Cilan… A Pokemon Connoisseur,"

Ash couldn't help but question what a 'Pokemon Connoisseur' was, so he questioned Cilan.

"Of course!" Iris sneered, getting into his personal space. "What a kid…" Axew retorted and Ash slumped and pouted.

Cilan gave a soft, apologetic laugh. "Not surprising at all!" He continued to speak. "It's a job that isn't well-known outside of the Unova region," He then proudly goes to talk about his profession, seeming quite pleased to call himself a Pokemon Connoisseur,"

Upon hearing this, Ash immediately was fascinated and requested that he evaluate his relationship with his beloved Pikachu, however, Iris was first to jump in with bugging him about why he really was in Striaton City, causing Cilan to jump in and offer them assistance to the Striaton Gym.

…

"Here we are!"

Ash's excitement boiled over and caused him to run to the double doors, and push them wide open. Without taking any notice to the place, he announced his request for a gym battle. Instead, before his was what seemed to being a fully running restaurant.

"This is the Striaton Gym?" Iris question in the about the same disbelief as she gave Ash when he explained his thunderstorm experience.

Out of nowhere, a just as formally dressed man as Cilan was, in fact, the same getup, just with crazy red hair and a white apron, slid beside him on his left in a swift motion.

"Welcome!" The awfully cheeky man grinned, towel draped over his right arm.

Then another identically dressed man came over, this time with blue, bowl-cut, shoulder length hair that covered his right eye joined in on Ash's right side.

"Welcome friends…" The smooth man spoke, a towel also on his forearm.

Before Ash could respond, Cilan placed his hand on his shoulder. "Please, make yourself at home!" And pushed him right on in.

In response, Ash stopped in his tracks and questioned this new friend and his friends about all this. The three of them just closed their eyes and smiled, heads tilted down. Then the lights went off.

"Ash! What did you do?!" Iris hissed in his ear, looking around the restaurant. Suddenly, from a still position, the three men of great likeness put their hands on their hips. In synchronized motions, they walked in a V formation to the fireplace in the middle of the restaurant floor. Their backs still turned, a spotlight flashed on to Cilan.

"Alright then, Ash…" His voice was suddenly amplified. Then he spun around and pointed one finger out into nobody in particular. "I'll grant your request!" Following that were squeals of girls. What-

A spotlight then turned on to the flame boy to Cilan's right. "So, you're a challenger…" He spoke in a snarky voice, then turned around, leaned forward with a finger pointing out, just like Cilan had. "Then you'll receive a welcome as pleasant and hot as the new day's sun!" More female customers squealed.

And finally, a third spotlight turned on to the cool blue guy. "No, I think we should be cool," He blantly mocked the fire boy before spinning around, his hands up and spread open to the air. "Like a refreshing glass of water, chilled of course…" And the whole restaurant broke into squeals. It was too hard to tell if the water boy was a fan favorite or he wasn't and the girls were still cooing over the previous boys.

However…

"O-KAY!"

The whole restaurant went silent and everyone looked towards the fire head, where the shout presumed to have come from. He placed his hand gently on Cilan's chest, but pushed him aside and made a b-line for the water boy.

"What the hell was that, Cress?!" The boy began to shout at the boy who could be presumed to be the Cress he spoke of, who was taken a little back by the shout. "The whole get-up like you said it to be is supposed to be balanced unity not dissing me! I thought we all agreed on this!"

Cress blinked once at the heated boy before crossing his arms and facing away from him, eyes closed.

"Chili…" He sighed heavily, his cheeks seeming flushed. "Why must you put this childish act up nearly _every_ time? I thought _you_ agreed on keeping your comments to yourself and waiting till later to go off on us, no?"

"Of course no!" Chili hissed back, fit clenched and looking as if about to punch Cress in mere moments. "Stop trying to avoid the point! You're using this to take advantage and become better than me and you know it!"

"Chili, don't be silly," Cress replied, dramatically placing a spread out hand over his brow, his other arm crossed at his midriff. "I don't have to,"

"SAY WHAT?!"

"You two, please…"

Still caught up in the emotions of the fight, they turn around to Cilan with little expression change.

"We're in the middle of something here, right?" Cilan gave an awkward smile and nodded to them.

"T-That's right!" Cress recomposed himself and stood up, straight and tall, yet Chili remained disorientated.

"This is the Striaton Gym!" Cilan proudly said.

"And the three of us…" Cress joined in.

"…We're triplet brothers!" Chili arrived late with his words, delayed by emotions.

"And we're the gym leaders!"

 _"_ _Some gym leaders…"_

…

Afternoon

…

After his successful gym battle, Ash relieved his Pokemon at the Pokemon Center. Before he could even start to wait, a familiar voice sounded behind him.

"Ash,"

He turned around to see no other than Cilan himself.

"I'd like to chat with you… If you don't mind, that is,"

…

The two of them sat down in a booth seating in the Pokemon Center, across from one another. Cilan's hands laid on the table, his arms to himself.

"My apologizes if my brothers were a bit of a bother," He began to talk. "They're always like this, so it's nothing you did wrong…"

Ash insisted it was nothing and Cilan went on to compliment the battle they had not long ago in the day. When Ash's Pokemon were fully healed and ready to be returned to him, they went back to the counter together and Ash retrieved them. Suddenly…

"There you are, Ash!"

Turning, the two of them saw Iris bound towards them, stopping when she reached them.

"Cilan!"

Then Cress and Chili came rushing into the Pokemon Center, showing the same expression as Iris was: fear and confusion.

"Hurry! Outside!" Was all Iris could get out.

"You've got to see this!" Chili insured Cilan, even the reckless one showing concern.

Everyone rushed outside…

…

Upon stepping out, the most noticeable thing was the pink sparkles of light appearing from the sky. It wouldn't have been much of a worry if it were to have come from a Pokemon, but…

"Nobody knows what's going on or where this came from!" Iris exclaimed, holding herself in a tight hug.

"This has never happened in Striaton City before…!" Cress added. "I don't recall it ever happening anywhere else either!"

Cilan looked around in both directions before suddenly honing in on one thing in particular.

"Over there!"

He pointed and everyone turned to see a large mass of the pink light coming from an abandoned structure in the middle of the forest around the city.

"The Dreamyard…?!" Chili pronounced his confusion out loud.

"What do we do?!" Iris asked out to the group.

"Let's go,"

Everyone turned towards Ash, silence taking over them.

"He's right," Cress sternly announced. "We can't do anything standing here. We might as well investigate with caution. The group took their moment looking at Cress before nodding.

"Follow us!" Chili told Ash and Iris as Cilan and Cress bounded in the direction of the Dreamyard before them.

…

They rushed to the Dreamyard at top speed, but when they arrived there, it was as they saw it from the entrance of the Pokemon Center. Everyone was silent, looking around for clues.

"Now this doesn't make any sense at all!" Iris spoke out in furious confusion. "This appears to be the source of the light, but there's nothing here!"

Everyone else continued to look around more. Within minutes, something caught Ash's eye. In a small area where a destroyed room stood was a resonating light. Curiosity drew him to the light.

From the corner of her eye, Iris noticed Ash and turned her head to him. "Ash? Did you find something?" Without waiting for an answer, she went after him. Her calling to Ash brought the curiosity of Cilan and his brothers and they followed after her.

Ash stopped at the source of the light and gazed deeply at it. When Iris turned the corner and saw what he saw standing before, she gasped and covered her mouth with both hands.

"You… weren't kidding…" She murmured as the triplets came up behind her and gasped as well.

Before them was the portal. The portal that Ash first encountered in the thunderstorm with the voice and the dark shadow. Last time, he was almost sucked in, making this second meeting a little tense, but…

Ash put his hand forward and push it through the portal.

"W-W-Wait, wait, WAIT!" Chili exclaimed, waving his arms. "You're not going in there, are you?!"

"You have no idea what's in there!" Iris added.

"You could not make it out if you go in!" Cilan chimed in as well, the most panicked out of everyone.

Ash didn't intend to, but he ignored their helpless calls. The voice… It was faint but he could hear it. He could hear it calling him in.

He pushed himself further in, his shoulders now inside the portal now. He then felt a sense of relaxation and then release. His body started to sink in on its own.

"Ash, no!" Iris exclaimed while the other remained in shock. She reached forward and just barely caught his foot. He stopped going further in, but her body shook with the might it took to keep him down. Chili stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Iris' stomach, and started pulling as well. Then Cilan and Cress followed, starting a chain of people trying to pull one out. Then suddenly, everyone's feet rose from the ground, being pulled by the force of the portal. And one by one, they were pulled in, screaming.

…

Once the light surrounded them, everything was white, but they didn't feel a fall or a landing. They could be dead and not know it they were so desolate inside what the portal led them to. All seemed helpless until.

"Ash! Everyone! Wake up!"

His vision was hazing, but his eyes opened and looked around. Above him, it seemed like a normal sky, yet it was hazy and dark. He could hardly remember what happened, but then…

 _"_ _Everyone!"_

He sat up in a hurry and looked around. "Hey, is everyone okay?! Where are-?!" His eyes stopped when he found them beside them, scatter on the ground, but Pikachu…

"…Why is everyone looking at me funny?"

Everyone stared at the yellow Pokemon in shock.

"Did Pikachu just…?" Cress began to inquire out loud.

"IT TAAAAALKED!" Chili exclaimed in panic, his voice echoing with his arms flailing.

Pikachu turned to Chili, looking just as confused as everyone else. "I… already talked before…?" it continued.

"Yeah, but in… human language," Cilan spoke, his gaze glued to the Pokemon.

Pikachu blinked a few times. "Wait, what are you…? WHAAAAAAT?!" It exclaimed in shock, realizing what the problem was.

"Ash, what is the meaning of this?!" Iris yelled at Ash, her large hair almost knocking someone over with that kind of speed as she whipped her head to him. "Why did you bring us to this… place?! Who are you, Ash Ketchum?!"

The thing is… He knew who he was, but this place…

He told them he didn't know and was just as clueless as they were.

"How can we trust you when you pulled us in here and your Pikachu can suddenly talk?!" She motioned to Pikachu, who ears were twitching at something and looking around. "For all we know this could have been your plan all along! To bring us here and…!"

"Something's coming…"

Iris went silent. Everyone turned to Pikachu, who was looking in a fixed direction.

"W-What?!"

"I can sense it… Something's coming for us…"

"What the hell are you talking about?! I don't…!" Chili was about to go off like Iris had, but then he looked in the direction and his eyes widened. Everyone's eyes widened. Everyone froze.

A group of dark figures started coming from down the way from the haze, approaching them. The bore blue masks with a shocked expression and a roman numeral of the number one on the forehead. They made ghostly, haunting sounds and the human-like figures approached them.

Chili fell backwards in panic, falling onto the ground in a thud. The creatures kept on creeping forward, showing no signs of stopping now.

"Oh no! What do we do?!" Iris exclaimed, scared and shaking, her hands up clasped together. "They don't look like they are going to give one bit!" One of them pointed at the group and she huddled into the sleeves of her tunic.

Everything seemed to slow around them. Ash's focus was on the creatures bounded for them. Their sight caused a quite familiar occurrence to take place.

A sharp headache snapped inside of him, causing him to hunch forward and clench his pounding head at the brow. Then… the voice…

 _"_ _I am thou… And thou art I… The time has come… Use your courage… And call forth the one within…"_

"Ash…? W-What's that in your hand?"

Cilan's voice snapped his headache away and his word turned his focus to his hand.

In it laid a knife, made of a substance like Sterling Silver with a zero embossed into the blade. He took hold of the handle with his right hand and a bright light began to resonate from it. Gazing into the light, a small, unconscious smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

Everyone turned to Ash, their attention drawn away from the on-coming monsters. Everyone watched as Ash lifted the blade. Everyone watched as he put it to his throat. Shock settled in for everyone, but for Ash…

A word slowly escaped his mouth...

"Per… so… na…!"

A swift movement of his right hand caused the blade to meet the skin of his neck and slide across it. A bright shade of red splattered onto the ground before him, but that was the least of his concerns. He felt his whole body releasing something. Something was leaving him, separating from him inside. His whole body trembled, hunched over, but then he lifted his head in the air and gave a loud, powerful roar.

A burst of light surrounded him from behind, causing everyone to shield their eyes. When Cilan looked back, his face went white as a sheet and his green eyes nearly turned into nothing. Everyone else was the same way.

A bright figure loomed behind Ash. It looked like a wise-man, the hair on its head and face wild and free. Its large, muscled body held its arms up in rage, its wrists changed together but still bore a mighty sword.

Nobody but Ash stood, the looming figure behind him causing a strong gust of power to blow within the area. The figures, draw to it, started dashing towards Ash and the figure. But Ash stood still.

"Hercules…!"

The figure jumped forward and towards the crowd of dark figures charging at them. It held out its sword and lighting struck them down one by one as the figure from Ash swooped through them. As once he had paced them, they morphed into nothingness.

The figure easily vanished them all, stopping in the distance where the last shadow finally disappeared. And with Ash's gaze, the figure returned to his side.

The dust created from the figures swift motions finally faded and everyone looked up. Ash stood and the figure stood behind him.

"Ash, your neck!"

Confused, he touched his hand to his neck and felt an oozing liquid. He lifted his hand to see blood. It dripped from his fingers and onto the ground where more blood was.

"You kid, w-why did you do that?!" Iris exclaimed, looking in shock at the bright blood on her friend.

"N-N-Now's not the time for questions!" Chili proclaimed in a panic. "We really should find an exit and get the hell out of here before we do anything!"

The figure by the name of Hercules faded into a soft light.

…

Ash has gained the power of the Persona, Hercules, the Greek hero.

…

Knife = Basically a different version of the Evoker from Persona 3, but it only appears when the person's ability to summon a persona becomes clear and appears in their hand, like the card in Persona 4. The knife is dull so no physical harm or damage is done  
Blood = Only the first time summoning a persona. It's artificial, but near identical to real blood, but the user doesn't experience actual blood loss. It's meant to represent the opening created for a Persona to "come forth".

I'll add more info in any questions arise, but only if they don't spoil anything ;p

Thanks for reading! Please tell me what you think 3


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